Graphic Design

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2020

8,541

declining 0.42%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$6,843

growing 5.03%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$32,580

growing 4.36%

Average Wage

$60,149

growing 2.6%

People in Workforce

2.2M

growing 2.01%

Average Employee Age

41.1

growing 0.276%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Graphic Design degree recipients are South Hooksett, NH, New York, NY, and Chicago, IL. The locations with a relatively high number of Graphic Design degree recipients are Laguna Beach, CA, Guaynabo, PR, and State College, PA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Graphic Design is a bachelors degree.

Photo by swissnex San Francisco

Visual & Performing Arts Design & Applied Arts

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Graphic Design and the types of students that study this field. Southern New Hampshire University awards the most degrees in Graphic Design in the US, but The Creative Center and Platt College-San Diego have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Graphic Design.

Tuition costs for Graphic Design majors are, on average, $6,843 for in-state public colleges, and $32,580 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Graphic Design programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (247 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (3,129 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Graphic Design

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Graphic Design, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (3,129 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Graphic Design programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,843

Median In-State Public

$32,580

Median Out of State Private

Southern New Hampshire University has the most Graphic Design degree recipients, with 345 degrees awarded in 2020.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Graphic Design.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

The Creative Center
100%
Platt College-San Diego
70.1%
Sessions College for Professional Design
42.5%

Out of all institutions that offer Graphic Design programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, The Creative Center has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Graphic Design, with 100%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Graphic Design

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Graphic Design by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Graphic Design.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Visual & Performing Arts graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Visual & Performing Arts majors is $60,149 and the most common occupations are Graphic designers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Postsecondary teachers.

The industry that employs the most Visual & Performing Arts majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Clay building material & refractories manufacturing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

$60,149

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,039

2.6%

1 Year Growth

± 2.39%

The average salary for Visual & Performing Arts majors is $60,149 and the most common occupations are Graphic designers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Postsecondary teachers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Visual & Performing Arts majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Visual & Performing Arts majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Visual & Performing Arts majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The most common occupations Visual & Performing Arts majors, by number of employees, are Graphic designers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Postsecondary teachers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Visual & Performing Arts majors working as Commercial and industrial designers, Graphic designers, and Interior designers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Visual & Performing Arts majors are Physicians, Magnetic resonance imaging technologists, and Chief executives & legislators.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

2.2M

2019 Workforce

± 36,120

2.01%

1 Year Growth

± 2.29%

The number of Visual & Performing Arts graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.01%, from 2.15M in 2018 to 2.2M in 2019.

The largest single share of Visual & Performing Arts graduates go on to work as Graphic designers (5.11%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Visual & Performing Arts by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The most common industries that employ Visual & Performing Arts majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Specialized design services.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The highest paying industries of Visual & Performing Arts majors, by average wage, are Clay building material & refractories manufacturing, Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing, and Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

2.2M

2019 Workforce

± 36,120

2.01%

1 Year Growth

± 2.29%

The number of Visual & Performing Arts graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.01%, from 2.15M in 2018 to 2.2M in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Visual & Performing Arts graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Visual & Performing Arts.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Visual & Performing Arts majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Visual & Performing Arts majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Visual & Performing Arts in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Visual & Performing Arts is 41.1.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Visual & Performing Arts degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Visual & Performing Arts (4,546 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

41.1

Average Age in 2019

± 0.215 Years

0.276%

1 Year Change

± 0.747%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Visual & Performing Arts. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 29 years old, which represent 3.56% and 3.35% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Graphic Design are Bachelors Degree, Associates Degree, and 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Visual & Performing Arts are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (63.5%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Graphic Design.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
4,546 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
1,508 degrees awarded
Asian
680 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Graphic Design for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
2,061 degrees awarded
White Male
855 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
397 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Graphic Design. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Graphic Design is from the 2 Digit Course Visual & Performing Arts.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Korea
29,152 degree recipients
Mexico
19,787 degree recipients
China
19,182 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Singapore
5.42 times more than expected
Korea
5.29 times more than expected
Finland
4.25 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Singapore that hold Visual & Performing Arts degrees (5.42 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Korea (29,152 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Graphic Design field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Graphic Design majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Graphic Design majors need more than the average amount of Installation, Operation and Control, and Equipment Selection.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Graphic Design majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Installation is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Active Listening are the three most important skills for people in the field.